Divine Intervention [for CleverFox]

[animefangirl]

Liam Maguire sat alone on a park bench as the sun slowly sank and it gradually started to get darker. He was fiddling with something in his hand but it wasn't obvious what he was holding onto since he was hiding it for fear someone would steal it from him if they knew he had it. It was a small golden cross that he'd stolen from his best friends ass hole father, a few days after Crevan took his own life to get away from the man. That had been a hard blow for Liam to take, especially since it happened only about a week after his mom decided she couldn't handle the abuse that she suffered at his fathers hands and ditched them both. After that his dad had gotten a lot more violent with him and he'd been forced to take to the streets to avoid the man and hopefully manage not to get beat on daily. There weren't many options open to a ten year old on his own though, so it hadn't taken long before he gravitated towards the local gangs. It was a year later now and he was finally being allowed into the Warriors, only he had to prove himself first. Tonight was the first step in that, he'd already gotten jumped by them earlier today and managed to take it without fighting back so he proved he was tough, but they wanted him to prove that he was willing to do as he was told. So the leader told him to go tag and rob a corner store that was owned by someone that dissed him, and by extension dissed all of the Warriors. He was just a little conflicted on if he should do it or not which was why he was playing with his friends cross, it helped calm him down. He was startled out of his thoughts when the streetlights came on and he nodded to himself, apparently having made his decision, then tucked the cross into his shirt and grabbed the backpack with the spray paint before taking off. He ran from the park to the downtown area which was usually busy with people but was sort of dead this time of night since it was Monday so everyone had school or work in the morning. He hung around a few more hours in an alley beside the shop just to make sure no one was around then he slipped to the front of the building and spray painted the Warriors symbol on the door, actually making it really nice since he was a bit of an artist. Then he took out a brick and threw it against the window, shattering it and jumping at how loud that was as well as the alarm that went off. "Fuck." He muttered, looking up and down the street as if he were going to run but then he made a frustrated sound and climbed through the broken window to run to the register, picking it up and smashing it against the ground to get the cash that the gang leader wanted. His hands were shaking a bit since he'd never done something like this before but he was determined to get into the Warriors so he did it anyway and hoped he could make a run for it before the cops showed.

[CleverFox]

Malakai really had no idea how he had managed to get this assignment but it was starting to frustrate even one who had the patience of a saint. Wait, maybe that was precisely why he had been given this assignment, because he was so unerringly patient. Whatever the case he had been watching this child for the better part of a year, attempting to prevent him from taking those first steps down a path that would lead him directly to ruin were he actually allowed to do it. Unfortunately the subtleties that his kind was sort of bound to didn't seem to be sinking into this kid's head and that was a bit of a problem as far as the angel saw it. He hadn't been able to steer the kid away from the gangs and on this very day he'd watched the kid allow himself to be beaten to a pulp by thugs who couldn't care less what happened to the boy, he was just another pawn in a very deadly game that was being played by humans who had already strayed from the path of light.

Currently the boy was sitting on a park bench fingering a small cross but Malakai could practically sense the trouble that was stirring even if he wasn't sure exactly when the boy was going to make the decision to act. He was sort of startled out of his thoughts when he heard a voice speak up from behind him, the angel actually jumping. "He's not really going to do it, is he Kai?" a soft edged voice piped up from behind Malakai, causing the angel to turn and gaze at his other little charge Crevan. This child, the owner of the cross that Liam was currently clutching, had a worried look in his blue eyes and it was obvious that he was saddened by what was going on. Not surprising considering this little angel, his newest apprentice and completely unchanged from the day that he had died, had been Liam's best friend before his unfortunate and untimely demise. "He's going to do it," Malakai confirmed, his tone even as he shifted his gaze back to the boy he had been watching, just in time to watch as he dashed off. "Come," Malakai said, not addressing the fact that the boy was still calling him by a nickname that he was not the least bit partial to, but only because there wasn't really time for that.

Crevan followed along behind Malakai, his little wings flapping fiercely as he tried to keep up. He was thankful for the fact that mortals couldn't see angels unless they willingly revealed themselves or else this would definitely be drawing attention. They arrived in time to watch Liam smash a window and the sound of the alarm got a gasp out of Crevan and a groan out of Malakai. "I can't believe he thought that would be a good idea," the angel muttered, racking his brain in an attempt to figure out how to salvage this situation. But before he got the chance a streak shot past him and that got another groan out of him as he realized first that it was his student and second that he was heading straight for Liam. "Crevan!" he called out in a sharp voice but the little angel boy, having the appearance of a child of about seven or eight and still bearing the two wounds that he'd inflicted upon himself but in the form of scars down the length of each forearm, was already gone.

Crevan was upset with what was going on and felt that he had to help his friend, this outweighing the knowledge that he wasn't supposed to reveal himself to humans. Without a second thought the boy flew through the opening in the window and landed a short distance from Liam, a faint light radiating from him as Crevan revealed himself, a sad look in his blue eyes as he said softly, "Liam, you don't really want to do this, I know you don't." Crevan knew his friend better than that, he knew that this wasn't something that Liam wanted to do, but he was guessing that his friend felt that he had to do it. Which he could understand because he had been there, only his chosen option had led to his current state of being.

[animefangirl]

Liam had no idea that he had a pair of guardian angels watching out for him, and he probably wouldn't have believed it if someone told him that since he didn't really believe in angels or God, it wasn't really possible for him to believe that sort of thing when he lived a hellish live with his dad and he knew the sorts of things Crevan dealt with before committing suicide. It was hard to believe anyone loved him when he lived like that. He was just too afraid of death to do what Crevan did, so he needed a different kind of escape and the gang gave him that. At first they hadn't wanted him around but he'd been persistent and it took him a year of tailing them and letting them know when the cops were nearby before they even considered allowing him inside. In that time he'd started to actually want to be a Warrior, it was the only thing he had and so he went for it and he let them beat him to a pulp and then followed orders to rob the store. If he were being totally honest with himself he would admit that he was scared when he was tagging the door, since it was so out in the open it would be easy to get caught, but that was the point. The more public the act the more 'street cred' he got for it. Then he smashed the window and freaked himself out with the alarm before going inside to get the money. He'd just scooped it all up when a glowing got his attention and when he lifted his head and saw Crevan there with a faint glow around him his eyes widened and his jaw literally dropped as he gaped at the image of the friend that he'd gone to the funeral of a year ago. He'd seen Crevan's pale corpse in the coffin so he knew for a fact that he was dead. A few seconds after the shock wore off he was hit with an intense pain as he registered what Crevan had to say to him, for some reason the other kids words hurting him a lot more than anyone elses since Crevan was right, he didn't really want to do this but he thought it was the only way. "Crevan..." He started, his voice still sounding disbelieving and confused but then he heard police sirens in the near distance and cursed. He jumped to his feet and bolted again, thinking that the image of Crevan behind him must be some delusion brought on by his fear or something, and jumped out the window before fleeing down the street. He ran until his side started to hurt, which wasn't all that long considering all the bruises he had from getting jumped earlier, and then he stopped and bent over to huff a bit as he caught his breath. That took him a few minutes then he started walking again, not sure where he was going until he arrived at the graveyard. He hesitated at the gates, feeling a chill go down his spine but he was freaked about what he saw before in the store so he needed to confirm for himself that Crevan was still there where he'd been put a year ago. Logically he knew Crevan couldn't come back from the dead, but he was only eleven years old so he wanted to look anyway. So after standing there getting his nerve up he walked inside and eventually ended up at Crevan's grave, dropping to his knees there and resting his hand on top of it the way he always did when he came to talk to him. He didn't say anything this time though, he just sat there and touched he grave with one hand and clutched the cross hard enough that it actually was digging into his hand almost hard enough to draw blood but he didn't really notice.

[CleverFox]

If he were being honest with himself Crevan would have had to admit that the decision he'd made in the heat of the moment really hadn't been the best one for the situation since it really only served to freak his friend out. Of course the problem was that he hadn't been thinking when he'd dashed into the convenience store that his best friend was trying to rob, he had just been reacting. Definitely not in a manner that was acceptable and just how badly he'd messed up became evident when Liam gave him that freaked out look and then ran off as the sounds of sirens reached them. Sighing and thinking to himself that he'd just screwed up Crevan made a move to follow Liam as the other boy ran but before he got the chance he felt something, or to be more precise someone, snag his right wing and he turned to look up at a very unhappy looking Malachai. "What did you think you'd accomplish doing that?" the angel asked, his tone even but somehow that was more unnerving to Crevan than if his mentor had yelled at him. "I just...just wanted to stop him," Crevan replied in a soft tone of voice, looking guilty for it. Malakai heaved a sigh as he gestured for the child to follow him. "Come, let's go see if we can make the most of this now that the cat's out of the bag."

Revealing themselves to the boy had never been in the plan but now that Crevan had done it Malakai was determined to make something good out of a bad situation. With that thought in mind he led the way in the direction that he could sense Liam had gone, the man having that ability as the boy's guardian angel, he could sense the child wherever he went. It was a strange feeling to be sure but one he was accustomed to at this point seeing as he had been doing this for a long time, with only one true failure to speak of. That being the child that was currently trailing along behind him, since Crevan had never been meant to die in the way that he had. Forcing that thought to the back of his mind he led the way to the cemetery, pointing his finger toward the spot where Liam was currently kneeling. Crevan felt an immense flash of guilt when he saw where it was that his friend had ended up, the angel boy looking up to his mentor and receiving a slight nod from the man that spurred him forward. Walking silently amongst the graves he reached his own, beside those of his mother and twin brother, a sad look on Crevan's face as he looked at Liam. "I'm sorry for leaving you..." he said quietly, needing to apologize and maybe even justify what had happened even if there really was no justification. For his part Malakai stood a short distance away, his wings not revealed the way that Crevan's were but he would show them to Liam if that would help to convince the kid that he wasn't hallucinating in this moment and that he was really facing two angels.

[animefangirl]

Liam was having a rather bad day at this point. Not only was he very sore from the beating he got earlier, but then he had tortured himself with whether or not he should do the initiation and actually gone through with it which was very upsetting and scary for him even though he was trying to be tough. Then, he got a visit from someone he thought was dead, who was the only person in the world he'd had to confide in about his father's abuse and had missed terribly while he was gone. Of course he thought Crevan was a figure of his imagination and he was going nuts but it still upset him and after fleeing from the store he eventually wandered to the graveyard where his friend was buried and knelt there as if trying to remind himself Crevan was gone and hope the delusion didn't come back. Unfortunately for him the number of shocks he was destined to go through today increased since he wasn't kneeling at Crevan's grave for long before he heard his friends voice speaking up behind him and he jumped, turning to look at Crevan and taking note of the kids wings this time as his eyes widened again. "This is impossible, I'm going crazy" He said to himself, reaching up to grip his head with his hands as they clutched at his hair as he squeezed his eyes shut. "You're dead. This isnt real" he whispered to himself, having a hard time processing all of this and while he had seen Malakai a bit behind Crevan he hadn't really registered the man since he was thoroughly distracted by his friend being there instead and he actually had a few tears slipping down his face as he realized what Crevan said about being sorry he left since that hurt but he wasn't going to talk about it right now when he thought he was going crazy and was actually wondering if maybe he'd gotten kicked too hard in the head earlier or something.

[CleverFox]

Nothing was going the way that Crevan had thought it would when Malakai had finally consented to let him come along on one of these missions. Always before he had been left behind with strict orders not to get into any kind of trouble or even think about doing something that he wasn't supposed to but this time his angelic mentor had let him come along. And he'd messed up in rather spectacular fashion, this thought sort of haunting him as he walked across the graveyard to the tombstone that bore his own name, as well as the dates of his birth and death, exactly ten years apart. He had the fleeting thought that that was probably the merriest Christmas his bastard of a father had ever had but that was replaced by feelings of guilt as he looked down at his friend and he couldn't help but offer up a softl spoken apology. He felt worse when Liam proclaimed that he was going crazy, the other boy gripping his head with both hands as he said that it wasn't real. Walking forward Crevan knelt, reaching out and placing his own hands on Liam's, his smaller since he'd always been stunted. "You aren't crazy, well at least not any more so than you've always been," Crevan told him, sounding just as he had the times that the two of them had hung out together, those being some of the rare and fleeting happy moments he'd experienced. "C'mon Liam, it really is me. Fox-boy turned angel-boy...look, even got the wings to prove it," he said softly, trying his best to get his friend to believe him.

Malakai remained unmoving as he watched Crevan kneel in front of his friend and place his own hands over the other boy's, the older angel knowing that was going to feel strange for the mortal boy but not really in a bad way. It would just be a comforting warmth and he had the brief thought that it might make Liam feel better. He was of course going to have his own little discussion with the boy, he had decided, but for the moment he was letting Crevan do as he wished. Even though he wouldn't admit it, to himself or to the others, he had a soft spot for the angel-child that he was responsible for and likely would be for some time to come since he was forever going to be a child, his aging arrested at the age of ten.

[animefangirl]

Liam was sort of freaking out at that point, which was obvious just looking at him and he jumped when Crevan touched his hands, the child opening his eyes again at the touch since it felt warm and very real which just startled him all over again. He looked at his friend with wide, slightly frightened eyes as Crevan teased him before telling him he was an angel now and Liam slowly lowered his hands from his head and stared at Crevan. "Angels aren't real..." He said, the only words that came to his mind but he couldn't really deny it when the proof was right there in front of him. "How is this possible?" He asked then, the little kid side of him that still sort of believed in magic making it a bit easier for him to accept that this was real. Then he looked over Crevan's shoulder at the man again, eying him for a moment since he was just distrustful of adults and men in particular. "Whose that?" he added, wondering who the man Crevan was with was, though he had the feeling that he was going to be told it was another angel and that was weird for him and he was skeptical about the whole thing still even if it was slowly starting to dawn on him that this might be real. After Crevan answered if he were going to the child looked back at his friends and once again got tears in his eyes but he didn't let them fall as he spoke again. "Why'd you do it?" he asked softly, sort of morbidly curious and wondering if it would be worth it for him to do the same thing, but he mostly wanted to know why his friend had given up and left him all alone in the world. Since Crevan was his only friend and he was home-schooled so Crevan had been the only one that knew about the abuse he suffered at his own father's hands and he'd been the only one that knew about Crevan's. They depended on eachother, and playing with Crevan when they could get away were also his few good memories.

[CleverFox]

Crevan really wasn't trying to freak out his friend but it was beginning to dawn on him that this was exactly what he was accomplishing and that sort of bothered him more than a little bit however he tried to push that aside, reminding himself that he'd be freaked out if something like this was happening in reverse. So instead of showing the fact that he was upset he just teased his friend before telling Liam that he was an angel and when the other boy said that angels weren't real Crevan wrapped one of his wings around his body and stared at it for a minute before he said softly, "I feel real to me." It was such a childish thing to say but it was what came to mind at the time so he said it. The child's gaze shifted back to Malakai when Liam asked who he was and he looked a bit sheepish since he'd forgotten that Kai was even with him. "Gonna say he's not real too but that's your guardian angel, his name's Malakai," Crevan told him softly, pretty sure that was exactly the reaction that he was going to get. It was at this point that Liam asked him why he'd done it and that served to get a haunted look out of even the angel as he gazed down at the scars that adorned both forearms, Crevan plopping down on his butt and actually leaning against his own tombstone as he said softly, "Usually he would just beat me and then leave me alone... that day he flat out tortured me. It went on for hours and hours, he'd take brief breaks but always he'd come back. I don't even know how many of my bones were broken by the time I got the knife... I didn't plan to do it but I just...Liam, I'm sorry. It was just...just too much." Crevan had a hard time explaining this even to Liam, who was his best friend and knew what a hellish existence he endured at the hands of his father.

Malakai felt a fierce stab of guilt as he listened to his little charge telling Liam why he'd committed suicide, the angel once again wishing that he'd been able to save this one. He knew that Crevan never should have died, not in that manner, it hadn't been his time. But he'd failed his mission and a precious life had been cut short, an error for which he was doing penance but that was neither here nor there. For the moment he had another life that was hanging in the balance, maybe not at risk for suicide but definitely at risk of traveling down a path that was dark and twisted. And that was not something that he wanted to see happen, doubly so because the kid was Crevan's only friend.

[animefangirl]

Liam watched Crevan stare at his wing and actually looked a bit confused as if he were wondering why the other boy would do something strange like that but then Crevan made his childish comment and it actually surprised a small laugh out of Liam, the boy showing a glimpse of the older sweeter version he'd been before everything went to hell in his life. His father always beat him of course, but it got worse after crevan died and his mom left. Then he asked who Malakai was and he gave Crevan a weird look when the other boy answered, "No such thing as those either." he muttered though there was less conviction in his voice Crevan was right that he'd say it because he was just a stubborn boy like that. After that he asked Crevan why he did it and listened as Crevna explained, wincing in sympathy as he heard what his friend had to say and shaking his head when Crevan apologized. "I don't blame you for it, not after something like that." He said as he actually scooted over to Crevan and wrapped his arms tentatively around the smaller boy, as if he were afraid that Crevan would disappear if he were to hold him too tightly. "The bastard lit into me too that day, maybe something happened at work" He said then, not sure why he wanted to make an excuse for them but it was normal for abused kids to do that, to try and justify the treatment they received at their abusers hands as if it were somehow their fault for being there when the parent was in a foul mood. He had actually sort of forgotten that Malakai was there, and as soon as the man reminded Liam of his presence this sweeter side that Crevan knew would go away again and he'd be the same aggressive punk he'd been playing at for the last year, since ti was the only coping method he had now so he clung to it rather desperately.

[CleverFox]

When Liam said that there was no such thing as guardian angels it was on the tip of Crevan's tongue to tell his friend that Malakai had been his guardian angel as well but he stopped himself before actually letting that one slip, mainly because he just didn't think that it would go over too well given what had happened with him and how his young life had came to an end. So instead of saying that he just went on to tell his friend why he'd committed suicide, actually feeling a bit better when Liam said that he didn't blame him for what he had done since he had been really worried about that. When Liam went on to add that his own father had abused him that day as well, the boy trying to justify it, Crevan shook his head slightly and said in a quiet tone, "No one ever deserves for that to happen, there is no justification for it. I tried for years to justify something that was more Keegan's fault than my own but it just cannot be done. Nothing you did caused this." Crevan was trying his best to offer his friend reassurance that he wished he had gotten, the little boy having made some realizations after becoming an angel that he never had in life.

At this point Malakai decided that the two of them had been allowed enough bonding time together, the angel striding toward the grave where the two of them were sitting and gazed down at the pair. "Well this didn't work out the way that I had planned but since Crevan revealed to you what he is I suppose we'll improvise now." He gazed at Crevan briefly at that point and added, "We'll discuss this later Crevan." The brown haired angel boy looked a bit nervous but he just nodded and then turned his attention back to Liam as Malakai did the same. "What Crevan told you is the truth and we're here to make sure that you don't travel down the wrong path." He paused at this point to see just how Liam was going to respond to that, not expecting it to be a good response.